Chicago Tribune

Rick Kogan: 16-inch softball players win the fight to continue playing games at Chicago's Grant Park fields

A group of people play 16- inch softball on Aug. 13, 1973, in Chicago.

CHICAGO — Grant Park was born with the rather dull name of Lake Park and is informally called Chicago’s “front yard.” But by any name, there’s not a finer urban park around and it has been the site of many joys, triumphs and troubles.

On the dark side, I can see the massive mess and violent melee that took place there during the 1968 Democratic convention.

On the sunny side, I give you 16-inch softball, which is played with bats and Clincher softballs and has been a summer joy for so many players and fans in the park for nearly a century.

In the dark depths of late February, Don DeBat read a disturbing

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